Uss Whidbey Island News

Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship namesake, USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) held a decommissioning ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va. on July 22 before its inactivation next month.The ship’s decommissioning ceremony was held on the quay wall, alongside the moored USS Whidbey Island. The ceremony was attended by nine of her previous Commanding Officers and over 50 plankowners. “The last crew of Whidbey Island performed with great dignity and resiliency,” said Cmdr. Matt Phillips, the ship’s final commanding officer.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

Ship construction programs move ahead, but it’s not smooth sailing. Navies and Coast Guards everywhere face budgetary pressure, even in the U.S. which has the largest Navy in the world. The balance between desire for capacity and capability and pressure for affordability has never been more acute with the precarious budgetary issues presented by declining defense budgets, sequestration, continuing resolutions and government shutdowns. Even so, there are ongoing major construction efforts to include large nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines…

President Barack Obama sent Congress a proposed defense budget of $613.9 billion for fiscal 2013, Feb. 13. The request for the Department of Defense (DoD) includes $525.4 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund base defense programs and $88.5 billion to support Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), primarily in Afghanistan. Of the discretionary budget, $155.9 billion represents the Department of the Navy's budget request. This is a decrease of $1.4 billion from last year's baseline appropriation. Rear Adm.

On August 2, the Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) team from amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) conducted training with sailors from Romanian mine countermeasures vessel Lieutenant Dimitrie Nicolescu (MCMV 29) as part of Summer Storm 2011. The maritime interdiction operations (MIO) exercise was one of several evolutions being conducted by Whidbey Island and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). "The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate to them how we conduct a boarding operation," said Ens. Jason E. Roberson, force protection officer on board Whidbey Island. The details of the exercise were closely coordinated with Lt. Cmdr. Lucian Grigoreseu, Nicolescu commanding officer, during a face-to-face meeting three days earlier.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) announced, July 1, efforts to ensure surface ships are properly maintained are continuing through a pilot initiative onboard two Norfolk-based ships. The NAVSEA-led initiative reassigns ships' force maintenance actions to shore-based technical teams. The review of open maintenance actions aboard USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) and USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) is designed to identify which of these repairs can be completed at the depot level. "The demands placed on our ships and Sailors are increasing each year," said Rear Adm. James P. McManamon, NAVSEA deputy commander for surface warfare. "It's incumbent upon the ship repair and maintenance community to figure out how best to support them.

The U.S. Navy began installing stern flaps in April on amphibious ships in an effort make ships more fuel efficient and save up to $450,000 in fuel costs per ship annually. USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), the first dock landing ship to receive stern flaps, began the installation process mid-April during a scheduled maintenance availability in Norfolk, Va. The ship is expected to head back to sea in late November. "A stern flap, located on the aft end of a ship, makes the ship more hydrodynamic…

GULF OF ADEN (NNS) -- Dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) is in the Gulf of Aden standing by to provide assistance to the crew of the Merchant Vessel Golden Nori. The Panamanian-flagged vessel is currently underway after pirates departed the vessel Dec. 12. Somalia-based pirates seized the Golden Nori Oct. 28 and held the 23-man crew hostage in Somali territorial waters. Coalition forces continued to monitor the situation, taking appropriate steps to prevent the pirates from resupplying the vessel.

Commander, 2nd Fleet ordered ships based in Hampton Roads in southeastern Virginia to get underway Sept. 16, to avoid potential damage to ships and piers from anticipated hurricane force winds and high tidal surges. Ships currently underway will stay out to sea until Hurricane Isabel passes. Vice Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the U.S. 2nd Fleet, said the decision to sortie the ships from Hampton Roads is based on concerns for the safety of Sailors, and the preservation of the ships and associated equipment. Forty Hampton Roads-based ships and submarines will get underway Sept.

USS Yorktown (CG 48) will return home to Naval Station Pascagoula Aug. 17, after a successful six-month deployment with the USS Wasp (LHD 1) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2. Yorktown made key contributions to Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Market Time II in support of the global war on terrorism. The ship, with embarked Helicopter Squadron Light (HSL) 42 Det. 2 from Mayport, Fla., set sail Feb. 17 from Pascagoula, and rendezvoused with the rest of the strike group off the coast of North Carolina three days later.

The U.S. Navy awarded the work package on its USS Whidbey Island to Norshipco, a member of the U.S. Marine Repair shipyard family. The contract, which calls for topside phased maintenance, fixed-price availability, states for work to commence on May 24 for a September 1 completion. The work package includes topside repairs, electrical and mechanical repairs, and ship alterations. Specific mechanical repairs entail main propulsion diesel engines, and ship alterations include the RAM Mk31 Mod and Ship's Self Defense System installations. Stratos has been awarded a contract to supply C-band satellite equipment and teleport services for PanCanadian Petroleum Limited's exploration drilling program offshore Nova Scotia.

Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp., Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $12,213,324 fixed-price contract for the Phased Maintenance Availability of USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41). Work will be performed in Norfolk and is to be completed by February 2003. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured and advertised via the Internet, with five proposals solicited and two offers received. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, U.S. Navy, Portsmouth, Va., is the contracting activity (N62678-02-C-2081).

U.S. Navy photo by Lithographer Shanika L. U.S. Sailors and Marines from the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) have been directed to assist in the authorized departure of American citizens from Lebanon. The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon has requested military assistance to help American citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to leave in a secure and orderly manner. Commander, Task Force 59, Marine Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen, is in Cyprus directing military efforts to provide support to the Embassy. The ESG and MEU are operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations and expect to be in place to provide assistance later this week.

United Defense Industries, Inc. announced today the U.S. Navy's contract award to the Norfolk, Va., shipyard, NORSHIPCO, for the topside phased-maintenance, fixed-price availability work on the dock landing amphibious-class ship USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD-41), the lead ship in its class home-ported in Norfolk. NORSHIPCO is a member of United States Marine Repair, Inc. (USMR), a subsidiary of United Defense. The basic award of the contract is valued at $12.2 million and with funded options, the total contract value would be in excess of $14 million. The ship is scheduled to arrive at NORSHIPCO on September 9, 2002. Work is expected to be completed on February 10, 2003. NORSHIPCO performed a similar availability on the WHIDBEY ISLAND in 1999.

United Defense, Industries, Inc announced today the award to NORSHIPCO a division of United States Marine Repair of 2 multi-year, multi-ship, cost plus contracts by the U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Repair (SUPSHIP), Portsmouth worth nearly $90 million if all options are exercised. The largest contract, for six LSD-41 and 48 class ships, puts the entire LSD fleet of this ship type on East and West coasts under maintenance contracts with United States Marine Repair, a subsidiary of United Defense. The Advance Planning award totals $52,610. The combined total contract award, if the Navy exercises all options, is approximately $64 million.